In co-pending application, Ser. No. 082,631 filed Oct. 5, 1979, there is described a process for separating oils or petroleum hydrocarbons from solid or solid-liquid mixtures thereof with soil, sand or residues, wherein this oil-containing mixture is mixed with an aqueous solution or dispersion of microbially produced glycolipids to form a slurry, from which the oil-containing phase rising out of the aqueous phase is separated.
The object of said invention is to remove any oil pollution which may occur on banks and beaches by the sea, i.e. by salt water, as a result of tanker accidents or human or technical errors, or to separate the oily constituents from oil-containing residues, particularly those obtained from petroleum processing.
In addition to these objectives, there is also the problem of eliminating oil pollution which may occur inland and in fresh water, in order to protect the environment. Oil pollution of this kind may occur with the equipment used for transporting and processing petroleum, particularly in the immediate area of the plants used for this purpose and the pipelines and storage equipment for petroleum and petroleum products, as a result of the breakage of a pipeline or container, for example, or through human error or technical faults. Inland oil pollution of this kind may also be caused by accidents to tanker vehicles or by inexpert handling of mineral oils or the products obtained therefrom. In any case, such oil pollution constitutes a considerable danger to the natural ecological equilibrium of the polluted area and possibly to the water table as well, and must be eliminated.
It has now been found that the process of Ser. No. 082,631, filed Oct. 5, 1979 can be used for separating petroleum and petroleum products from the ground and from inland waters contaminated therewith and from materials used for the adsorption thereof.